1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and improved apparatus for infeeding a cable to an automatic cable processing machine. In the context of this disclosure the term "cable" also is intended to embrace wires and leads or the like.
Generally speaking, the apparatus of the present development for infeeding a cable to an automatic cable processing machine is of the type comprising two mutually confronting or facing belt drives and a cable length measurement device for measuring a predetermined length of a cable section of the cable. A first belt drive of such mutually confronting or facing belt drives is spatially stationarily or fixedly arranged and comprises two deflection rollers, at least one pressure or contact roller and a drive belt. The second or other belt drive of such mutually confronting or facing belt drives comprises a spatially stationary or fixed drivable deflection roller and a pressing or contact device arranged at a support or carrier plate mounted to be parallely displaceable substantially perpendicular to the infeed direction of the cable. This pressing or contact device comprises deflection rollers which can include the spatially stationary drivable deflection roller, pressure or contact rollers and a drive belt. A force exerted by the pressing or contact device presses the drive belt of the second belt drive towards the drive belt of the first belt drive and, as the case may be, against the cable inserted between both of the belt drives and drives the cable in the direction of the automatic cable processing machine. Furthermore, the driven cable, in turn, drives or co-rotates a measurement drive roller of the cable length measurement device which is arranged externally of the spatially stationarily arranged belt drive.
2. Discussion of the Background and Material Information
Such an apparatus for the transport of a cable in an automatic cable processing machine is disclosed in the commonly assigned European Published Patent Application Serial No. 90114421.2, filed Jul. 27, 1990 and published under Publication No. 0423443A1 on Apr. 24, 1991. In this apparatus the cable or wire is clamped between two mutually confronting belt drives and transported by both of the belts thereof. One of the belt drives is installed to be spatially stationary or fixed and possesses a driven measurement drive roller, a deflection roller and a number of smaller diameter pressure or contact rollers which in conjunction with the deflection roller and the drive belt form a drive surface for the cable which is located in one plane. The other belt drive is displaceably mounted and comprises a drive roller rotatably mounted upon a stationary or fixedly arranged shaft or axle and a number of deflection and pressure rollers arranged upon a displaceably mounted plate member. These deflection and pressure rollers coincide or register with the position of the rollers of the spatially stationary belt drive and form in conjunction with the drive belt a drive surface extending parallel to the drive surface of the spatially stationary belt drive. Furthermore, this other belt drive If comprises a tensioning roller for the automatic tensioning of the associated drive belt. The drive surface of the displaceably mounted belt drive extends beyond the drive surface of the stationary belt drive and thus forms, in conjunction with the driven cable, a drive surface for the measurement drive roller of the cable length measurement device.
A drawback of this prior art apparatus resides in the relative difficulty in controlling the faultless travel of the cable along the relatively long path between both of the belt drives. A further difficulty is attributable to the fact that different slip conditions arise between both of the belt drives for driving the cable and the measurement drive roller of the cable length measurement device which is driven by the cable such that the cable can undesirably dam-up or pile-up between the point of departure from the belt drives and a subsequently arranged cable guide. As a result, the cable can laterally depart from the cable infeed apparatus, leaving such in a totally uncontrolled manner and there occurs a cable entanglement forwardly or upstream of the point of entry of the cable into the automatic cable processing machine.